Is The Mass. Mental Health Care System Doing Enough?

26:20

December 19, 2012

The group home at 181 Broadway St. in Somerville, where Malissie Holloway was found dead (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Malissie Holloway was only 24 when she was found dead, hanging from a pipe in her closet.

Holloway suffered from debilitating mental illness and was living in a Somerville community based mental health facility.

Her family began asking questions. The group home was supposed to a safe place, one with support and ongoing supervision, yet the staff was admonished for not seeing her for two days before her body was discovered.

The Somerville group home is part of Massachusetts' Community Health System — specifically, a relatively new program called Community Based Flexible Supports, or CBFS.

As part of a special investigative report, WBUR and the New England Center for Investigative Reporting looked into CBFS, which provides treatment and support to over 29,000 individuals.

Guests:

Deborah Becker, WBUR reporter
Marcia Fowler, Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health
Deborah Delman, executive director of The Transformation Center

More:

This segment aired on December 19, 2012.

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